


A Prisoner Within My Own Mind

by Nagitos_mittens



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Confused Hinata Hajime, Despair, Despair Komaeda Nagito, Kamukura Izuru Has Feelings, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:41:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26985373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nagitos_mittens/pseuds/Nagitos_mittens
Summary: After going through the procedure described to him for the Kamukura project, Hajime is surprised to find that it seemed nothing changed when he woke up. That was, until he fell asleep. Whilst dealing with everything going on within his head, he also had Nagito, who seemed to be taking refuge inside his hospital room. When the two get out on the run, Hajime realizes what he was hiding from. Can they survive? That’s Hajime’s only hope.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito
Comments: 3
Kudos: 84





	1. Ours?

**Author's Note:**

> I had to shift Izuru’s personality a lil bit for this so he at least cares about Hajime and kinda cares about Nagito lol- so he’s a bit out of character here.

Hajime knew something was wrong when he woke up. He was in pain, so much pain, but what about Izuru? Didn't they say that he'd become Izuru Kamukura? The Kamukura project seemed relatively vague when it was explained to him, but he got the gist of it. He tried to sit up, but the pain was too much, he had to lay back down. He closed his eyes, maybe some rest would help.

Though the second he fell asleep, it felt like he was somewhere else. His eyes opened again, where was he? He looked down, it seemed he was laying on a couch of some sorts.

"So, you're here," Hajime looked up to the source of the voice, seeing a long haired man sitting across from him.

"Who are you...? Wh-where are we...?" Hajime gently sat up.

"This is your conscious, or should I say our conscious now..." the man across from him said.

"Hold on, are you Izuru...? Did the project work?" Hajime tried to stand, but he was stopped by Izuru.

"Be careful, even in your conscious you can still hurt yourself," Izuru sat Hajime back down, "the project didn't go completely to plan, causing us to become part of one conscious. So while you may have control of your body now, I can take control as well."

"So it's both of us now?" Hajime asked.

"Yes, this body isn't just yours anymore, it's ours," Izuru sat back down.

"Ours, huh?" Hajime raised an eyebrow, "does that mean I'll get the talents you have?"

"Not right away," Izuru explained, "it'll take time since you just came out of surgery, but eventually yes we will share all the talents I possess."

"Wow... finally I'll matter then, huh?" Hajime smiled softly.

"Well, I wouldn't say that exactly..." Izuru stood, "but you do have talent now."

"Hm..." Hajime nodded, "can we see what's going on, even if we're not in control?"

"Yes, I've been able to see what's going on ever since you woke up," Izuru crossed his arms, then he perked up, "Ah, I think it's about time you woke up, seems like someone's waiting..."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Hajime asked, trying to stand up again. But everything was starting to go dark, he couldn't move. So he surrendered, letting the darkness consume him.

When his eyes opened back up, his eyes wandered over to the door. He raised his eyebrows, "Nagito...? What are you doing here...?"

"Hiding..." Nagito said, "can I hide in here?"

Hajime and Nagito met on pure luck. They were both in separate courses, so the only time they really saw each other in passing. That was until they bumped into each other one day and sent them both to the ground. This came across as good luck to Nagito, seeing as he never bumped into everyone. Then they started walking home together and soon, they even started hanging out often. And they'd been friends ever since.

"Hide...? What are you hiding from...?" Hajime sat up a little.

"I just- something's happening, and I don't know what's going on b-but I know something is wrong..." Nagito said, walking in and quietly shutting the door.

Hajime watched Nagito's almost frantic movements. He was normally pretty calm, so this was concerning coming from Nagito, "hey... hey... come here..."

Nagito walked over to Hajime and sat down by his bed, "how are you feeling...?" He asked. Hajime had mentioned the Kamukura project to him, so he just hoped that he was doing ok.

"I'm in a bit of pain... but I think I'm doing ok..." Hajime didn't want to mention Izuru to Nagito just yet, seeing as the white haired boy still looked a little shaken.

"Ah... that's good..." Nagito smiled softly, reaching over to Hajime's hand, "when are you going to be able to leave?"

"I don't know yet... they said that they wanted to attempt giving me accelerated healing, but I don't know if they succeeded," Hajime said, "come to think of it, no one's come to check on me yet..."

"Yeah, I... I don't know if they'll be coming..." Nagito said, "can I turn the lights off?"

"Ah- sure..." Hajime nodded. He had no idea why Nagito was so paranoid, but he watched as he got up and turned the lights off. Then for extra precaution, he locked the door and shut the blinds.

"Nagito, what is the meaning of this...?" Hajime took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark, then watched as Nagito returned over to the bed.

"I just... I need to keep us safe... then we need to get out of here as fast as we can..." Nagito sat on the bed, sighing softly.

"Just answer my question...!" Hajime grabbed Nagito's hand, only to be stopped by a voice in his head.

It was Izuru of course, a heavy sigh coming from him, "be gentle... he's in distress."

Hajime hesitated a little, before opting to rub Nagito's back instead, "how about we lay down for a bit...?"

Nagito looked to Hajime, "are you sure?"

"Of course, now come here..." Hajime said, scooting over to make room for Nagito.

Nagito sighed softly, laying back with Hajime, "I'm sorry this is all so sudden..." he said, rolling towards Hajime.

"Don't worry about it," Hajime said softly, laying back down with Nagito, "so... do you have any clue what's going on...?"

"Something's wrong with my class..." Nagito said then chuckled, rubbing his face, "I'm sick for two weeks and suddenly everyone's gone crazy..."

"Was that... was that maybe your luck protecting you?" Hajime asked.

"Hm... now that I think about it, maybe..." Nagito said, "it was also lucky of me to find you. Maybe my talent isn't so useless after all..." He smiled softly.

"I hope everything's ok though..." Hajime sighed, "it wouldn't be good if something happened to your class, or any of the ultimates first that matter..."

"Oh of course," Nagito nodded, "it'd be horrible for them, especially since they're the symbols of hope!"

"Yeah..." Hajime nodded, looking over to Nagito. Nagito looked genuinely concerned and almost upset as he spoke. He normally just wore a smile, even if he was talking about something heavy. Though here he was right now, looking like he was on the verge of tears.

But then Nagito looked back to Hajime and his eyes lit up again, taking Hajime's hand, "ah... but you have talent now, huh Hajime...?"

"Well... it's a little complicated, why don't we talk about it in the morning? I might be feeling a little better then after we rest..." Hajime suggested, rubbing Nagito's side.

"Will you let me sleep here...?" Nagito asked.

"Of course, I don't imagine you'd feel too comfortable somewhere else, right?" Hajime smiled softly.

Nagito smiled softly, then pulled the covers up, "you're really too kind Hajime..."

"Oh don't worry about it, I wouldn't just kick you out, especially when you're like this..." Hajime smiled softly, "I hope you sleep well..."

"Mhm... goodnight Hajime..." Nagito smiled softly, before closing his eyes and slowly falling asleep.

Hajime wasn't awake for too long after Nagito and soon, woke up in his little dream world again. 

"Hm... oh..." Hajime mumbled as he sat up on the same couch as earlier.

"Good on you for listening to my advice," Izuru said as Hajime woke.

"Hm...? Oh yeah, why am I back here...?" Hajime asked.

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Izuru sighed, "it's your conscious, it's simply where you will go when you're asleep or if you pass out for any reason."

"Ah... sorry..." Hajime rubbed his eyes, "so do I have to stay here until morning then?"

"Precisely, or you could stay here while I take over when you wake up," Izuru said, crossing his legs on the couch across from Hajime.

"I think I need to talk to Nagito about you before I let you take over..." Hajime said, "like you said, he's in distress, I don't want to confuse him any further."

"Fair," Izuru nodded, "but I expect to be granted some control at some point."

"You won't do anything stupid, right?" Hajime asked, glaring at Izuru.

"Do you take me for someone stupid?" Izuru scoffed, "I'm a genius among geniuses, talented among the talented, what do you take me for?"

"You've barely existed for a day and you're this cocky already?" Hajime crossed his arms.

"Don't talk down to me like this," Izuru stood, "if you hadn't taken my advice earlier, that Nagito probably would've been pushed over the edge."

"How do you know?" Hajime stood as well, he wasn't about to let this new guy one up him.

Izuru raised his hand, holding his finger against Hajime's forehead with his thumb raised in the air, shaping his hand like a gun, "I can predict just about anything, Hajime Hinata. With what I've learned about from your memories of him, he's not the most stable..." He sighed, dropping his hand, "so especially now when there's something going on, you need to be careful Hajime."

"He's not some maiden in need of protect-"

"I am aware of that," Izuru cut Hajime off, "but you can't probe him like you almost did when he wasn't in the right headspace."

"I-" Hajime sighed, "I guess you're right..."

"Then don't question me like that," Izuru backed off.

Hajime looked around the area, "so, is this all there is?"

"Boring, I know," Izuru said, "but sadly, this is all there is."

"Then I guess I have to talk to you the whole time," Hajime chuckled, sitting back down.

"Well not necessarily, if you really want to you can rest your head and sleep the rest of the night," Izuru sat down as well.

"I wanna know more about you though," Hajime smiled, "do you have any kind of memories of your own?"

"None that belong to me," Izuru shook his head, "the only memories I have are your own."

"Hm... I guess it makes sense since you're basically artificial," Hajime nodded, "but do you have anything unique about yourself at all?"

"Again, I am talented among the talented, though I believe that is the only thing unique about me," Izuru said.

"Hm... that's no fun," Hajime said, "though I hope we'll be able to make some memories together."

"Maybe..." Izuru crossed his arms.

The Hajime yawned a little, could he get tired here too? Izuru noticed and crossed his legs, "tired?"

"Mm... a little..." Hajime said as he rubbed his eyes, "is it ok if I rest for the rest of the night...?"

"Of course, you rest well..." Izuru said softly, before Hajime laid down and closed his eyes.

When Hajime woke up, Nagito was still asleep. He must've been really tired, Hajime thought. Nagito normally woke up pretty early, so it was strange for Hajime to be up before him. He gently sat up, feeling much better compared to the day before. Hajime took a moment and stretched, before seeing if he could stand up. He was careful, gently putting his feet down before shifting his weight onto them. Hajime gently let go of the bed and took a few careful steps.

He smiled, "wow... I guess the accelerated healing worked..." 

Then Hajime heard shifting from the bed. He turned his head, seeing Nagito stirring softly. The brunet returned to Nagito's side, waiting for him to wake up.

Nagito rolled on his side towards Hajime, opening his eyes a little, "Hajime...?"

"Yeah, good morning..." Hajime smiled.

"Why are you up...?" Nagito asked, sitting up gently.

"I think the accelerated healing might've worked..." Hajime smiled softly.

"You want me to change the bandage on your head?" Nagito asked.

"Do you know how?" Hajime sat on the bed.

"Mhm, I've had to wrap my own bandages a few times..." Nagito said, before going to get bandages and everything he'd need.

Once Nagito had everything, he went back to Hajime and started to work. He gently took off the bandages on the brunet's head, then started to clean the incision site.

"Hey Nagito?" Hajime looked up to him, "can I tell you something?"

"Hm?" Nagito stopped for a moment, before nodding.

"So... I guess I should tell you about Izuru..." Hajime said.

"Oh, did it work?" Nagito asked. 

"Mm... kinda," Hajime said, "it was supposed to surrender my body to Izuru, but instead it's split my conscience with him."

"So he's there, but like- not?" Nagito asked.

"He's in my head right now," Hajime chuckled, "should I let you meet him the next time I sleep?"

"That sounds interesting," Nagito smiled, carefully wrapping Hajime's head back up.

Hajime yawned softly, "well maybe I'll let him loose..." he chuckled.

"You rest then, it looks like you could still use some sleep..." Nagito smiled, "and I'll wait for Izuru."

"Ok, I'll see you in a bit..." Hajime said, gently laying back down on his bed.

As soon as Hajime's eyes closed, he was back in his head again. He looked over to Izuru, "hey guess what, you get to stretch your legs..."

"Well, our legs," Izuru let out a small chuckle.

"You smile? What the heck?" Hajime chuckled as well while he sat up.

"Is that strange?" Izuru asked.

"No, you've just been really stoic so far," Hajime said softly, "so, how do we switch places?"

Izuru pointed to a large door to his right, "if I go through there before our body wakes up, then I'll wake up."

"That's interesting..." Hajime nodded, "you're cool Izuru, yknow?"

"You think so? Thank you," Izuru crossed his legs, "I'm interested in you, even if you don't possess talent..."

"I will inherit yours eventually though," Hajime smiled.

"Yes, I'm hoping that it'll go smoothly," Izuru said softly.

Hajime looked back over to the door, then to Izuru, "I'm guessing you're eager to get going."

Izuru stood up, "are you eager for me to go?" He chuckled.

"Just be nice to Nagito, ok?" Hajime said.

"Of course," Izuru nodded, "I'll see you later."

Hajime waved a little, before watching Izuru exit through the door.

Izuru woke up with the lights shining bright. He groaned a little, rubbing his eyes a little. Nagito noticed he woken up and hurried over to the bed.

"Ah, Hajime!" Nagito smiled. Then he backed up a little, seeing Izuru's red eyes, "ah... is this Izuru?"

"Yes, yes it is," Izuru said, sitting up, "and you're Nagito right?"

"Yes, yes I am," Nagito nodded, "you're... safe right?"

"Of course I am, I don't have a desire to hurt anyone or anything if that is what you think," Izuru got out of bed, "so what are you working on?"

"I'm just making plans so we can get out of here," Nagito smiled, "when do you think you guys will be able to leave without any concerns?"

"If you know how to change the bandages consistently and we can find a safe place to stay, I'd say as quick as tomorrow," Izuru said, "when were you planning on leaving?"

"As soon as possible," Nagito said, "should we just wait and see what's going on tomorrow?"

"That might be best," Izuru said softly.

"Sounds good then!" Nagito smiled.

Then Nagito looked over to the door, peeking through the curtains. Everything looked good for now, so with luck they might be able to get out unscathed. Then Nagito looked back to Izuru.

"What do you need?" Izuru asked.

"Um... could I maybe have a hug? I know it's sudden, but this is all just a lot right now..." Nagito sighed.

Izuru walked over to Nagito, gently hugging him, "I assume this helps you?"

Nagito nodded as he hugged Izuru back, "yes... it's just a little bit of extra reassurance..." he smiled.

"Hm... interesting..." Izuru said softly, "would you like to talk about it?"

"I guess..." Nagito said, going to sit on the bed.

Izuru followed him, sitting beside him, "I heard something happened to your class, right?"

"Yes, I don't know what exactly happened to be honest, but they were scary..." Nagito said, "I came into class thinking it was a normal day, but instead they all just stared at me when I walked in... they started moving towards me and I knew I had to run, something's off, I just know it..."

"Hm... that is strange..." Izuru said, "could they have fallen into despair?"

"I've never thought about that... maybe..." Nagito said softly, leaning onto Izuru a little, "do you think they can get out of the despair?"

"Possibly, but that is beyond my predictions," Izuru said softly.

"You seem like you could be a pretty nice person Izuru," Nagito looked up to him.

"Really? I've never seen it like that," Izuru said, "I don't see emotions as really being an important thing to me."

"Oh... well even if that's the case, you seem considerate," Nagito smiled.

"Well then... thank you," Izuru looked to Nagito.

Nagito giggled softly and stood up, "Well, I'll get back to work, you rest up!"

Izuru watched as Nagito paced around the room. It was a way to keep him thinking, so he'd almost completely blocked out Izuru so he could focus. While he was busy, Izuru leaned back to think.

"Nagito's pretty interesting..." Izuru mumbled.

"Mm... yeah, but he's really nice once you get to know him," Hajime said.

"Oh I don't doubt," Izuru watched Nagito, "he just seems... interesting..."

"I bet you'll like him, I mean- I do, he's amazing..." Hajime mumbled.

"You seem to be awfully invested in him," Izuru chuckled a little.

"Were you saying something?" Nagito asked.

"Oh no, it's fine," Izuru said.

Nagito nodded and sat back on the bed, yawning softly, "I guess we should rest for a the night, hopefully whoever I wake up to is feeling better..." he chuckled softly.

"Yes, I'll discuss with Hajime tonight," Izuru laid in the bed.

Nagito smiled softly and laid with Izuru. He rolled over to face the brunet, "is it ok if I hug you...?"

"Well, if it helps you sleep..." Izuru said softly.

Nagito nodded and gently wrapped his arms around Izuru, then curled up, "night..."

"Goodnight..." Izuru said softly, before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

When Izuru woke back up in the conscience, Hajime was almost right in his face. Izuru jerked back a little, before sitting up.

"What was that for?" Izuru grumbled, rubbing his eyes a little.

Hajime chuckled softly, "I just wanted to see if I could get a reaction out of you."

"You wanted a reaction from me?" Izuru raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you're always so brooding, I wanted to see what I could do," Hajime said.

"The most you'll do is surprise me, but if you keep this up it'll get predictable," Izuru crossed his legs, "now, we have things to discuss."

"Yeah..." Hajime nodded, sitting down beside Izuru, "you wanna talk about who's going with Nagito tomorrow right?"

"Precisely," Izuru nodded.

"Well how do you want to do it?" Hajime asked.

"There's two ways we can go," Izuru said, "you could go since Nagito knows you better and trusts you more, so you could offer some comfort. But if something goes wrong, then it'd be better if I were there to deal with it."

"Well you can predict stuff right? Then what do you think would be the best thing to do?" Hajime crossed his legs.

"If I were being honest, I think it'd be better if I went," Izuru said, "it'd guarantee both yours and Nagito's safety."

"Well, if you think that'll be the safest option, then we can do that," Hajime said.

"Very well, I'll let you see Nagito afterwards," Izuru stood up.

"Good luck," Hajime watched Izuru walk over to the door beside them.

"Thank you, but I believe with both our luck and Nagito's luck that we'll be ok," Izuru said, before leaving.


	2. On The Run

When Izuru woke back up, Nagito was out of bed. He sat up and watched the white haired boy wander around the room, getting everything together. Then Nagito noticed Izuru getting up, turning his head to him.

"Oh, good morning!" Nagito smiled, "I'm just getting everything else together."

"Would you like some help?" Izuru asked, getting out of bed.

"I appreciate the thought, but I'd have to decline..." Nagito said softly, "I'm almost done, so it's ok!"

"Very well..." Izuru nodded.

"But while you wait, why don't you get out of that hospital gown?" Nagito asked, grabbing some clothes, "some of Hajime's clothes were in here, so these should fit fine."

"Mm... thank you..." Izuru said softly.

"And you don't have to worry, I won't look!" Nagito giggled.

Izuru just nodded a little, before getting himself changed. Nagito had given him some underwear, pants, a T-shirt, and a sweater. The clothes were pretty warm once he had them on, so it was a nice upgrade from the hospital gown. 

"So I'm gonna be travelling with you?" Nagito asked, looking back to Izuru.

"For today at least," Izuru said.

"Well I'm sure everything will go well," Nagito smiled, grabbing the bags he had, "are you ready?"

Izuru looked to the bags Nagito had, "what are these?"

"I found some food, and I also have medical supplies," Nagito said, "my luck seemed to be on my side!"

"Did you leave the room?" Izuru asked, taking two of the heavier bags.

"Yes, but don't worry, I was careful," Nagito smiled, "besides, I had my luck so everything went well."

"So I assume you know the way out?" Izuru asked.

"Yes, I found an exit close to here," Nagito said, "are you all set?"

"I guess so," Izuru nodded, "shall you lead the way?"

"Of course," Nagito smiled, slinging one of the bags he had over his shoulder.

Nagito quietly unlocked the door, before slowly opening it. The bright fluorescent lights that normally lit the halls had gone out, leaving long dark hallways ahead of them. Nagito instinctively grabbed Izuru's hand, staying close to him as they walked down the hallways. He was quiet, seeming more serious than usual. Nagito looked back to Izuru from time to time, checking on the brunet as well as his surroundings. Eventually they got to their way out, a large hole in the wall that seemed to come from an explosion. The two climbed through the hole, before looking around.

"We need to get moving, the longer we're still the larger targets we become," Izuru said.

"Where should we go? We have many different options..." Nagito let go of Izuru.

"I say we go to the city," Izuru pointed out, "the city seems to be abandoned, so we could probably find shelter there..."

"Very well," Nagito nodded, "do you want to lead the way?"

"I guess so," Izuru said, "I'll see what I can do, I'm not exactly familiar with this area."

Then the two were on the move. They didn't exactly walk, nor run, but they made sure to keep up their pace. Izuru seemed to know his way, despite not being very familiar. Eventually they entered the city and Izuru immediately stopped, looking to be on edge.

"Is something wrong?" Nagito asked.

"There's something strange around here..." Izuru said, his eyes wandering.

Then off in the distance, they saw someone wandering down the road. Nagito was peeking over Izuru's shoulder and immediately tensed.

"That... that's...!" Nagito bit his lip, "that's Fuyuhiko... but... where's Peko...?"

"I assume this is the bad feeling I was getting..." Izuru mumbled, "we need to go around him, follow me..."

Izuru started to move behind rubble, hiding behind it and moving along. They just had to get a few streets over, then it'd be ok. The two boys stayed close, watching their surroundings as they slowly moved down the street. Nagito even held his breath, afraid that even the sound of his breathing could alert something or someone. 

Once they had made it at least three streets over, Nagito finally exhaled, "that was close..."

"Did you really hold your breath?" Izuru looked back to Nagito.

"I was anxious, my apologies..." Nagito sighed a little, before straightening back out, "but we should get to looking for shelter, right?"

"Yes, let's start looking," Izuru said, "if we can find an apartment complex or a hotel, that would be best."

Nagito nodded, straightening himself out a little bit. Then the two started walking down the street, examining every building they could. When he saw something, Nagito grabbed Izuru's arm.

"Hey, is that what we're looking for?" Nagito pointed over to a large building. The sign was a little scuffed up, but it looked like it said hotel somewhere.

"I believe so, let's get closer..." Izuru nodded.

Though the second the two stepped out of cover, they were immediately stopped.

"Ah, Komaeda is that you?" They both heard a voice from across the street.

Izuru just grabbed onto Nagito, "don't bother checking who it is, we need to go."

The two started to run towards the hotel, with Fuyuhiko following behind. They thought that they were safe, but there had to have been patrols all over the city so what did they expect? But they had to find somewhere to take shelter in fast. They ran through the lobby and up to the stairs, the power seemed to be cut throughout the city so trying out the elevator would've been futile. The two ran up god who knows how many flights of stairs, before finally slowing down to more of a jog than a full on sprint. They couldn't hear anyone coming, so that gave them a chance to slow down a bit. They went down the hallway a little, before they stopped to take a break.

Nagito was bent over forward, practically heaving for air as he tried to catch his breath. Izuru was about to say something, until Hajime chimed in.

"He has issues with stamina, he's a bit burnt out," Hajime said.

"Ah... makes sense," Izuru nodded.

"Did you... did you say something...?" Nagito looked up to Izuru.

"Hajime was just giving me some information," Izuru leaned against the wall.

"Oh, Hajime is able to see what's going on as well...?" Nagito smiled.

"Yes, we can also communicate," Izuru said.

"That's pretty interesting..." Nagito smiled, standing up, "I guess we should go find somewhere to stay now, right?"

"Mhm, do you have a hair pin?" Izuru asked.

"Um..." Nagito dug through his pockets, before pulling out a hair pin, "how's this?"

"Perfect," Izuru said, before wandering down the halls. He looked at each door, letting his intuition guide him. Once he found a room that seemed to suffice, he started to pick the lock.

Nagito watched Izuru in amazement. He was truly a man of many talents, so it seemed Izuru could do almost anything flawlessly. As the door clicked, Nagito nearly gasped, watching as the door swung open.

"Woah... that was amazing Izuru...!" Nagito said, walking in behind him.

"This seems to be acceptable..." Izuru entered, setting everything down and locking the door.

"Mm..." Nagito nodded, setting the bags he had beside Izuru's, "do you think we'll be safe here?"

"Maybe for now, but not for long..." Izuru said, "we shouldn't stay more for a few days, I'm sure that Fuyuhiko could return..."

"And perhaps even worse, with Peko..." Nagito sat down on one of the beds.

"Peko, who is that?" Izuru asked, sitting across from the white haired boy.

"She's the ultimate swordswoman, and her and Fuyuhiko are really close... if they return together, we may as well be dead..." Nagito explained.

"Hmm..." Izuru nodded, "we'll rest tomorrow and then leave the following day," he declared.

"U-understood," Nagito nodded, stuttering a little. Izuru seemed very formal and carried himself well, so he didn't want to get on his bad side.

While the two settled down, Izuru began to look through the bags Nagito had packed, while the other boy wandered around the room. Nagito was checking and rechecking locks, just to be sure. Once he felt he had taken all the precautions he could, he returned to the two beds, looking back to Izuru.

"Do you prefer sleeping in one of the specific beds?" Nagito asked.

"Not at all, I'll sleep in whichever one you don't," Izuru kept his eyes focused on the bags, "it seems you've packed well..."

"Ah, thank you..." Nagito smiled a little, "it was probably my luck that I managed to stumble upon all of it, I guess it can be useful sometimes..."

"Ultimate luck can prove to be a very powerful talent when you use it correctly," Izuru said, looking up to Nagito.

"What makes you say that?" Nagito asked, "my luck can get me out of some pretty sticky situations... but I wouldn't say it's exactly powerful..."

"So you underestimate your talent?" Izuru tilted his head, "interesting... you realize that depending on your cycle of luck that you can bend a luck based situation to your liking?"

"I guess I'd be able to do something like that with my good luck... but bad luck, how could that benefit me?" Nagito asked.

"Perhaps I should let you figure that out," Izuru said, "I'm not your instructor, and I don't wish to tell you how to spend your luck."

"Fair enough," Nagito chuckled, "I checked everything, so we should be alright until tomorrow."

"Good," Izuru nodded, "I trust you and Hajime will be responsible?"

"Yes! We will be careful and responsible and whatever else you want!" Nagito smiled.

"Hm... it's interesting you can smile in such a predicament, you're aware that we could be being hunted right now correct?" Izuru asked.

Nagito chuckled a little, "yes don't worry, I'm very much aware... I guess it's my way of dealing with it, it's easier to smile and laugh it off."

"Smile and laugh it off hm?" Izuru crossed his arms, before a smile crept onto his face.

As Izuru began laughing, Nagito just tried to laugh along with him. It had to be the most forced laugh he'd ever heard. Did... Did Izuru know how to laugh properly? Nagito wasn't one to judge if he didn't, heck, the white haired boy never learned how to tie his own shoes properly. So he played along, laughing with Izuru.

Once the brunet had stopped, he actually offered a small smile, "your philosophy seems to be helpful Nagito, thank you."

"Ah- don't worry about it! I'm honoured that I could help..." Nagito smiled back to Izuru. Then he yawned softly, "is it getting dark out at all...?"

Izuru stood, peeking out the window, "mm... seems it's approaching night time..."

"We should probably get some food then..." Nagito said, grabbing one of the bags.

"How long should the food last?" Izuru asked.

"Depending in how much we eat at once, probably a couple weeks," Nagito said, reaching into the bag, "bread?"

Izuru took some bread from Nagito, thanking him before starting to eat. 

"I could find food, but it's not all that interesting kind of food," Nagito said, "all they had was all this bland stuff, so my apologies."

"It doesn't matter, it's still food," Izuru said.

"True..." Nagito nodded, taking a bit for himself before putting the bag away.

It didn't take long for the two to finish and soon, they were getting ready to settle down for the night. Nagito checked the locks one more time just for good measure, they couldn't afford to be ambushed in the middle of the night.

"If you're really so paranoid, I could stand guard for the night if you'd like," Izuru looked over to Nagito.

"Oh no! I don't want to deprive you from sleep at all," Nagito said, returning to the beds, "I just wanted to be sure, you don't have to stay up at all!"

"Hm, I see you're eager to see Hajime then," Izuru sat on the bed.

"I-It's not like I don't want to see you or anything! I just- I just wanna see Hajime too and I..." Nagito sighed a little, chuckling as well, "I've seemed to have dug myself a hole here, haven't I?"

"Don't worry, I understand," Izuru said, "you know Hajime better, and you'd find more comfort in having someone familiar around, yes? It's not something you have to feel ashamed of Komaeda."

"Oh please, you can just call me Nagito," He chuckled, sitting on the bed, "but, yeah... I guess you're right."

"Then I'll hurry off to sleep, you should too," Izuru said, "if anything happens, rest assured that either Hajime or I will take care of it."

"You really don't have to trouble yourself like that," Nagito said, "they're after me after all..."

"Go to sleep, we need to be well rested so we're alert in the day," Izuru laid down on one of the beds.

"Very well..." Nagito nodded, getting in the other bed and curling up.

The transfer between Izuru and Hajime went pretty well, with them both not needing to say much to each other. Hajime just hurried on his way, excited to see Nagito in the morning. Though when he woke, it seemed to be still dark out. Hajime sat up a little, looking around a bit. Jeez, was Izuru cold or something? Hajime was very hot, pulling off the sweater he had on. Then he looked over to the other bed, where Nagito laid curled up. Hajime got up out of bed, looking around and checking everything just to make sure they were safe. Then he went over to the bed where Nagito was, getting in beside him. The brunet hugged Nagito close, causing the white haired boy to flinch a little. 

Nagito opened his eyes a little, squinting up to Hajime, "Hmm...?"

"Did I wake you up...? Sorry..." Hajime mumbled, "you can go back to sleep though, I checked everything and it's fine..."

"I assume it's Hajime...?" Nagito smiled a little.

"Yeah..." Hajime nodded, yawning softly.

"That's good..." Nagito yawned as well, "I'll see you in a little bit..." he mumbled, before closing his eyes again.

Hajime smiled softly and held Nagito close. He let his eyes drift slowly shut, they could rest for longer. Though Hajime fell asleep with a small pit in his stomach. From what he saw when Izuru had control, Nagito was practically being hunted. This wasn’t any good, Nagito was the only other person he had. They had to get out of the city quick and they needed to get far away from here.


	3. Time To Breathe

Once the two woke up again, they stayed up but not necessarily out of bed. The two just laid there, looking at each other and trying to decide when they were gonna get up. All the while Izuru seemed to be bothering Hajime get up. 

The brunet groaned, rolling over, "just a little longer..."

"What's going on?" Nagito asked, sitting up a little.

"Izuruuu..." Hajime whined, "I just wanna sleep..."

"You cannot sleep when Nagito is being hunted! You two should at least have an escape plan," Izuru sighed.

"Mmm... Shush, we're fine..." Hajime mumbled.

Nagito chuckled softly, getting out of the bed, "you can stay there for a little bit Hajime... I'm sure you could use some rest..."

"Where are you going...?" Hajime rolled over, watching Nagito get up.

"I'm just getting some food, you can lay there for a bit and I'll get some for you too ok?" Nagito smiled softly, grabbing one of their many bags.

"Mm... thank you..." Hajime smiled, curling up with his pillow and ignoring Izuru's advisories to get up.

"Of course Hajime, I'd do anything for you," Nagito smiled, grabbing food for both him and Hajime.

Nagito brought the food to the bed, sitting down and handing Hajime his food. The brunet sat up, thanking Nagito and starting to eat. 

"So I assume we're going to stay here today?" Nagito asked.

"Yeah, Izuru suggested that we stay here today and move tomorrow." Hajime nodded.

"Sounds good," Nagito smiled, laying back in the bed.

Once Hajime had finished his food, he slowly got out of bed. He headed over to the bags and started to look for himself. Izuru had gotten a chance to look through them and while Hajime could see what was going on, he just wanted to be sure that he knew where everything was.

Soon, he pulled out a hairbrush. He smiled, then looked over to the white haired boy that had settled back down in the bed, "hey Nagito, can I brush your hair?"

"Hm? Ah, of course Hajime..." Nagito smiled, sitting up.

Hajime moved over to the bed, sitting behind Nagito. Then the brunet took some of Nagito's hair in his hands, gently brushing through it. It was a little knotty, but it was manageable. Once Hajime had it all brushed out, Nagito's hair became pretty fluffy. He ran his hands through it gently, smiling softly.

Nagito turned his head, giggling, "that tickles Hajime..."

"Your hair's just so soft," Hajime smiled, hugging Nagito softly.

"Jeez... did you sleep ok?" Nagito chuckled.

"No, Izuru likes to keep me up in my head..." Hajime yawned, "he does it for good reason, but it's very tiring..."

"Well make sure you tell Izuru to let you sleep tonight, I wouldn't want you falling asleep while we're fleeing the city!" Nagito said, "but, in the meantime, we can just lay here and be lazy."

"Sounds like a plan," Hajime smiled, laying down and pulling Nagito down with him. He earned a small yelp from the white haired boy, causing him to chuckle softly.

Though once they were settled down, Nagito found his way under the covers and half asleep again. He faced Hajime, yawning and smiling.

"Hajime, thank you for being here..." he said after a while of silence. 

"Oh? Well you're welcome..." Hajime chuckled softly, "that's a little out of the blue Nagito..."

"I know, apologies..." Nagito sat up on his elbow, "I just hope you know how important you are to me..."

"Wow, even if I'm a reserve course student?" Hajime raised an eyebrow.

"Well you aren't necessarily anymore..." Nagito said, "it may be artificial talent, but even before the procedure I could feel the hope inside of you," he placed his hand on Hajime's chest, "the talent was just the way to bring out your hope to it's fullest potential!"

"That's... that's really kind of you Nagito..." Hajime smiled.

"Really? I only speak the truth Hajime," Nagito chuckled softly.

Hajime sat up, hugging Nagito close, "you're so kind Nagito..."

"Well I wouldn't exactly say kind, I'm not always-"

"I'm not talking about always, I'm talking about now," Hajime said, "you don't give yourself enough credit sometimes..."

"Ah... that's very kind of you for you to say yourself Hajime..." Nagito smiled a little. He wasn't always the best at taking compliments, but he did his best.

"I'm just telling the truth," Hajime said, rubbing Nagito's back gently.

Nagito chuckled a little, "I guess we'll just leave it at that then..."

"Fair enough," Hajime smiled. Then he let go of Nagito and got up, "I guess it's time for me to get up..."

Nagito smiled as well, getting up behind Hajime. 

"Is it safe for us to go outside the room?" Nagito asked, peeking out of the window.

"Tell him no," Izuru said, "it's way too dangerous, especially with him in tow."

"Izuru doesn't suggest it," Hajime said. He didn't want to tell Nagito the rest of Izuru's comment, he knew for sure it'd send him into a spiral of self deprecative comments.

"Hm, if he doesn't suggest it then I'll believe him, he's pretty smart," Nagito said.

"And I'm not?" Hajime chuckled.

"No no you are! But Izuru seems to be more knowledgeable on topics you're not." Nagito said, holding his hands up defensively.

"It's ok, I understand," Hajime smiled. Though he was a little jealous. Nagito was 100% right, but at the same time Hajime wanted to be more reliable to the white haired boy.

"Don't worry Hajime, you're nicer than him, he didn't even offer to cuddle last night," Nagito chuckled softly.

"Rude," Izuru chimed in quickly, making Hajime laugh a little.

"Maybe he just needs to warm up to you first," Hajime said, hugging Nagito softly, "I mean, we've known each other for a few years and you've only known Izuru for a few days, maybe after a while he'll be nicer," He chuckled softly.

"I enjoy having hugs like this," Nagito smiled, "I'll do my best to be nice to Izuru!"

Then the two boys remained in the hug together, just staying quiet. After yesterday's scuffle, it was relaxing just to take a moment to just stop and breathe. Nagito laid his head onto Hajime's shoulder, rubbing the brunet's back softly. He felt safe with Hajime. In fact, he didn't think he ever wanted to leave Hajime. The brunet made Nagito feel complete, he never wanted to have to leave Hajime for any reason.

Though soon, Hajime pulled away. He looked to Nagito, "Izuru suggested that we see if we can secure an escape route."

"Didn't he tell us not to leave though?" Nagito asked.

"Yeah, but he said he'd guide us just so we know where we're going tomorrow," Hajime said.

"Ok, if Izuru thinks it's a good idea then I'll believe him!" Nagito smiled softly.

Hajime nodded, "Izuru will guide us, but be careful..."

Then the two headed to the door reluctantly. Nagito stayed close behind Hajime, ready to move if they had to. All the while Hajime listened to Izuru, who was slowly guiding the two down the halls.

Nagito grabber Hajime's hand absentmindedly, just wanting to have some sense of security. He didn't even notice until the brunet squeezed his hand back, but Hajime didn't pull away so that was enough for Nagito to keep his hand there. They only really wandered the floor they were on, not wanting to risk it until given the ok by Izuru.

"Did you pass the staircase on your right?" Izuru asked.

"Yeah, do you think we should go there?" Hajime stopped for a moment to listen to him. 

"I think so, there's no door sealing it so if you need to run back there won't be anything blocking you," Izuru said.

"What's Izuru saying?" Nagito asked.

"That staircase we passed without a door, that might be our way out," Hajime looked to the white haired boy behind him.

"Then should we head over there and see where it leads?" Nagito asked.

"Not for now, I'll be able to handle it tomorrow," Izuru said, "you two can just head back and rest for the day."

Hajime relayed the message to Nagito, and the two made their way back to their room. On their way back, Nagito gently reached for Hajime's hand again, smiling when the brunet gently took his hand. They were in this together, and it was going to stay that way.

Once they got back safely, Nagito flopped onto the bed, sighing.

"I'm bored..." he whined a bit.

"Don't worry Nagito, we'll be out of here tomorrow..." Hajime sat down beside him rubbing his back.

"Do you really think we'll make it through all this...?" Nagito looked over to Hajime.

"Hm? What do you mean...?" Hajime tilted his head.

"Well... the world's going to shit, so what's the point?" Nagito chuckled softly, "there's very little chance we'll get through this alive, even with Izuru on our side..."

"Ah-" Hajime was a little taken aback, but pressed on, "how can you be sure...?"

"A ton of people have already died, heck most of Hope's Peak is dead!" Nagito said, "who's to say we aren't next?"

"Well... I don't think that's the case..." Hajime bit his lip, "we just- if we keep going then I'm sure we'll get out of harm's way soon..."

"Do you even know the state of the rest of the world though?" Nagito tilted his head, "I don't either, but I doubt it's anything good..."

"Nagito, I think we should just settle down for the night, we're gonna be fine.." Hajime said.

"Already?" Nagito crossed his arms.

"I thought you were bored..." Hajime sighed.

"Well this talk has thoroughly interested me!" Nagito smiled.

"Look- Nagito, let's just worry about getting out of here for now ok?" Hajime said softly, "I'll even cuddle with you if you really want to..."

"Ah, you mean it?" Nagito perked up, his interest immediately changing.

"Yeah, let's just rest for tonight, ok?" Hajime laid Nagito down gently.

"Mm... if you insist Hajime..." Nagito said softly, pulling the blankets up over the two.

"Sleep well, ok...?" Hajime said softly, wrapping his arms around Nagito gently.

"Mm..." Nagito mumbled, curling up and falling asleep.

Hajime opened his eyes with a slight groan. He sat up on the couch, then looked over to the raven haired man sat across from him.

"Ah, hello there Hajime," Izuru greeted.

"Hey..." Hajime rubbed his eyes a bit.

"So, about tomorrow..." Izuru crossed his legs, "do you think you can handle it?" 

"Yeah," Hajime nodded, "as long as we don't run into any issues we'll be fine."

Izuru was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then he looked back to Hajime, "Alright, I'll let you go."

Hajime smiled softly, "thanks, I bet Nagito will be glad..."

"Why wouldn't be be glad that I would go? I believe I'd be the safest option," Izuru said.

"Well you didn't cuddle him," Hajime chuckled softly.

"I didn't know that was something I had to do," the raven haired boy narrowed his eyes a bit, crossing his arms.

"Oh, I'm kidding," Hajime chuckled, "you two just need to warm up to each other, then it'll be fine..."

"Hm... I guess..." Izuru said.

Hajime stood up from his seat and went over to Izuru, "do you need some practice warming up?" He chuckled softly.

"And how do you intend to do that?" Izuru asked.

Hajime opened his arms, "hug me."

"Excuse me?" Izuru stood.

"You heard me," Hajime said, "you gotta try to get comfortable with being able to let people in..."

"Hm... let people in, huh?" Izuru tilted his head. He hesitated for a moment, before he opened his arms a bit.

Hajime gently wrapped his arms around Izuru, letting the raven haired boy get comfortable. Izuru soon settled his arms around the brunet, sighing softly.

"Is everything ok?" Hajime asked.

"Yeah, this is just a little strange..." Izuru said softly.

"Well I'd expect so, you probably haven't experienced anything like this before, right?" Hajime pulled away a bit.

"Precisely," Izuru nodded, "but I'm sure with time it's something I'll get used to..."

Hajime smiled and pulled away, "me too, maybe the next time you're able to see Nagito you should try giving him a hug too."

"Maybe, but you have to get ready for tomorrow," Izuru said, "you go rest Hajime."

"I will..." the brunet nodded, "good luck tomorrow Izuru."

"Good luck to you as well," Izuru sat back onto the couch, watching as Hajime settled down onto the couch and closed his eyes, before soon falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof this took a while- but the next chapter should be out soon!


	4. This Isn’t Right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short! It’s just this chapter, then it’ll be back to the normal length!

The boys could finally make a run for it. They were gonna get out of the city, and everything would be ok. At least that was what Hajime told himself as he got ready with Nagito. They had Izuru with them, so everything should be ok.

Once the boys had everything together and they were sure they were ready to go, they left the room and turned to Izuru to guide them. They began to take the route they had established from yesterday, and everything seemed to be going well. Then they made their way towards the door to outside and that's when both Hajime and Nagito hesitated.

"What are you waiting for?" Izuru asked Hajime.

"I..." Hajime bit his lip, "I'm nervous..."

Nagito gently took Hajime's hand, "I'm sure we'll be ok, just like you said, soon we'll be out of harm's way..."

Hajime squeezed Nagito's hand gently, "mhm... yeah, it'll be fine..." he said mostly to reassure himself, then gently pushed open the door.

The street looked relatively empty, giving the boys the clear to continue on. Though there was just one small problem, from where they exited, they didn't know what street they ended up on. There was so much debris that they could barely tell where they were. But they pressed forward, soon enough they'd find an exit. The coast seemed pretty clear for now. 

For now.

Nagito and Hajime stuck close together as they carefully navigated through the debris. It was very quiet, so they chose their steps carefully. Both of the boys knew their way around the city pretty well, so it wouldn't be a big deal once they got back onto clearer streets. 

Their trek through the non existent street had gone pretty well, while Izuru remained pretty quiet. He was unfamiliar with the area, so he trusted the boys to continue through the city.

They started to pick up their pace once there was no debris in their way. They just had to get out and everything would be fine. Nagito and Hajime kept telling themselves that. Everything seemed to be fine, but then they rounded the corner onto the next street. 

There stood Fuyuhiko, but this time with the ultimate swordswoman beside him. When Nagito and Peko made eye contact, he tensed and turned around.

"Run...!" He said to Hajime, before to two were sprinting away.

Though Peko was right on their heels, and she wasn't slowing down. Hajime and Nagito tried to stay close together, but as Nagito's stamina started to wane, he began falling behind. Hajime was about to turn around to help him, but Izuru stopped him.

"Don't, you're only going to get yourself hurt," Izuru said firmly.

"But- Nagito...!" Hajime said.

"Just keep going!" Izuru snapped. 

Hajime bit his lip, then had to move forward. Seeing Izuru angry probably wasn't the best idea. Nagito was going to be ok, right? He was just right behind him. 

Apparently he was wrong with that.

He heard a loud yelp from behind him. Hajime whipped around to see that Peko had grabbed Nagito. The brunet was prepared to run back for him, even though Izuru was yelling at Hajime to turn around.

"Hajime! Turn around, this is a trap!" Izuru said.

"But... he can't go, he can't!" Hajime said, breaking into a sprint.

He heard Izuru grunting, was everything ok? But soon he realized what he was doing. Soon Hajime felt like he wasn't running on his own. He was turned around, instead running away.

When he slowed down finally and he could move properly his hands moved to his mouth as his knees buckled underneath him. What just happened? What was going to happen to Nagito?

Hajime slowly moved his hands away, still side eyed, "Izuru... what... what did you do...?"

"I had to force myself to take control of your body... I'm sorry, I just wanted to protect us," Izuru explained.

"And you couldn't do anything to help Nagito?!" Hajime exclaimed.

"Be quiet! They might hear you," Izuru sighed, "it was too risky, but don't worry, did you think I was going to leave him?"

"What...?" Hajime asked.

"We'll get him back, I promise Hajime..." Izuru said, "but for now we should find a new shelter so we can prepare..."

"I... this feels wrong... I feel like we shouldn't be doing this... what if they hurt Nagito...?" Hajime slowly stood up. 

"We can't do anything right now," Izuru said, "we'll make a plan, it'll be fine Hajime..."

"Should we go back to where we were before...?" Hajime asked.

"I saw somewhere close by while we were running, we can go there," Izuru said.

Hajime nodded and gathered up the bags he managed to hold onto. Then he let Izuru guide him back to the apartment he saw. Once they knew for sure they were safe, Hajime sat on the bed.

"Can I go to sleep right now?" Hajime asked.

"You want to come see me?" Izuru questioned.

"Yeah, is that ok...?" Hajime laid down.

"Well I don't think I'm in the place to police your sleeping patterns Hajime," Izuru said.

"Hm... true..." Hajime rolled over, "I'll see you in a bit..."

Hajime closed his eyes and did his best to get comfortable. And soon he woke up again, with Izuru standing over him.

"Are you ok?" Izuru asked as Hajime sat up.

"You're worried about me? Wow, that's surprising..." Hajime said.

"Well I've never seen you upset like that," Izuru said, crossing his arms.

"Well you were the one that forced me to run from Peko and Nagito..." Hajime sighed.

"I just wanted to keep both of us safe, we could've gotten hurt if you tried to help Komaeda," Izuru said, "I promise that I'll get him back, we just needed to take a step back to make a plan..."

"God..." Hajime leaned his forehead in his hands, "I hope he's ok once we can get to him..."

"Well I can't guarantee that but-"

"You're not helping Izuru!" Hajime snapped, then took a deep breath and sat up, "sorry... it's just... it's stressful..."

"That's understandable..." Izuru said softly, sitting down beside Hajime.

The raven haired boy looked at Hajime for a moment, then he opened his arms. When brunet saw Izuru's motions, he immediately hugged the raven. He was honestly surprised Izuru would offer something like this, but he took whatever comfort he could get.

"Are you ok with me going to get Komaeda?" Izuru asked.

"Yeah, it might be better than me going..." Hajime said, "do you know where they might be...?"

"Well judging by the direction they were headed while we ran away, I'd predict the school," Izuru seemed to stare off into the distance as he made his predictions.

"So... if they're really in the school..." Hajime began, "were we right in their base when I first woke up?"

"Going off of Komaeda's frantic actions in our room, I'm guessing he managed to just evade them, so most likely yes," Izuru nodded.

"Well, at least we have an idea for a location," Hajime said, "but Hope's Peak is huge... it could take hours to find him..."

"It may take a while, but I'm sure in the end it'll be worth it when we do find him," Izuru assured.

"Yeah... I just hope that they don't hurt him too bad..." Hajime bit his lip.

"Wondering about what they're doing is only going to stress you more..." Izuru said, "I may not be able to guarantee he'll be completely be untouched, but we will get him back..."

"Ok... after we get him back though we really need to get out of here..." Hajime said.

"Agreed," Izuru said, "we may not be out of danger completely, but we'd be away from ultimate despair..."

"Yeah..." Hajime mumbled.

"You rest now Hajime, you must be very stressed..." Izuru laid the brunet down gently.

"What about you?" Hajime asked.

"I've got planning to do, I'll be fine," Izuru said, "before you know it, we'll get Komaeda."

"Ok, good luck Izuru..." Hajime nodded, "I put my trust in you..."

"No need to worry Hajime, we already have the luck, everything will be fine," Hajime saw Izuru smile a bit, before he closed his eyes to rest.


End file.
